A First Date

I've been a member of New York Sports Club for a little over 5 years. The club is okay, quite expensive compared to non-NYC clubs but not bad for clubs in the city, but my main reason for joining NYSC was convenience. When I joined, the club was two blocks away from my apartment, a necessity when I was just starting to get myself up before work to workout. Now, it's still only 5 blocks away, so still very close. Woody joined as soon as he moved out here and we've been going together ever since. Our main gripes about the club is the lack of cleanliness, a fairly high number of machines out of order on a regular basis, unkept weight areas, and over crowding. It is convenient, there are many locations around the city, and a fairly large number of classes to take, if we're interested. Our gym was recently renovated, so it is better than it was, I admit.

So, last year a new apartment building went up on 2nd Ave right between our place and the gym. The building houses a new Equinox gym. If you're not familiar with Equinox, it's supposed to be one of the best sports clubs. At least around here. We know the prices are high so we couldn't afford to switch gyms. Fast forward a bit and we got a letter in our mailbox for a free 3-day trial. We've seen these before but decided to take advantage of it over this long 3-day weekend (well, for Woody anyway) so we could really use it and not be rushed to get to work or anywhere else.

Here's what I think after our first workout at Equinox:
Very, very clean. Well built, designed and maintained. Great music choices. Lots of stairs in this location, but it's the same at NYSC. Really nice, large locker rooms with computerized locks on the lockers so you don't have to bring your own. Nice, new and frequently updated cardio equipment. Clean equipment. I don't like how the machines don't have their own TV's and there are several flat screen TVs instead for many of them. I like having control over what I watch or listen to. Lots of room between machines - cardio and weights. Woody didn't like the flow between weight machines, he thought they were in an odd and unnatural order. The weights were very tidy - definitely didn't have to go searching for anything. Stretching area was clean and large. There were a good number of people working out but it didn't seem overly crowded and there were always a few cardio machines empty. Over 100 fitness classes per week at this location (nice) with a spinning studio with new equipment even though they've been open less than a year. Nice big windows upstairs that look out over the street so it's very light and airy. The underground floors would feel more confined but probably not as busy. The personal trainers seemed very well informed, professional and effective.

Overall, I really enjoyed the workout and am looking forward to going back tomorrow and Monday. I hope to take a class and hopefully my workout will be a bit more efficient since I'll know the layout a bit better. A first date with a gym is always interesting - have to get a feel for the place! 

Unfortunately, even with the current special on the initiation fee, the monthly fee is still a bit too pricey for us, but maybe we'll be able to switch over one day. In general, I have some environmental issues with gyms in general, but I also find them to be a necessity for me and many other people to stay (or become) fit, so I can't judge them too harshly. I wish there was a way to have an environmentally friendly gym. Hmmm. Business idea!

After the gym I came home to coffee and this filling and nutritious meal -
banana, peanut butter and kiwi oats!

Tomorrow we're going out for brunch to celebrate Valentine's Day! After we hit the gym, of course!

Are you a member of a gym? What do you like most and least about it? How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?

Happy Saturday!